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40 Years of Information Mapping
A History of Robert E. Horn and the Information Mapping Method
Introduction
In 1965, Robert E. Horn initiated the research into and design of the Information Mapping method, initially developed as both a way of visually presenting information and a method for analyzing information to make it easier to communicate. 40 years later, this method has been embraced by hundreds of thousands of individuals in 40 countries, standing the test of time and technological evolution.
Robert E. Horn Biography
Robert E. Horn is a world renowned researcher, educator, and entrepreneur. He began his career as a TV Producer/Director in the military and a systems analyst at Univac when HPT was in its formative years. As a research associate at Columbia University, where programmed instruction was being invented, Horn created a way of analyzing any complex subject matter. This research became the basis for the Information Mapping® method, his most widely known accomplishment. The method has improved the productivity of managers, consultants, trainers and writers in organizations across the globe.
In 1967 Horn founded the company that is now known as Information Mapping, Inc. He served as CEO of the company for 15 years before moving on to pursue other research interests. In addition to Information Mapping, Inc., Horn's career has incorporated many research and development projects at universities, research centers, corporations, and five start-ups that he founded.
Currently, Horn is a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Center for the Study of Language and Information and continues his research with a special interest in policy communication, social learning, and knowledge management (especially in biotechnology and national security affairs). His recent development of visual argumentation mapping has resulted in the publication of the Mapping Great Debates series, which, in the past year and a half, has received a full-page review in Nature, as well as being hung in a national museum in The Hague as part of an exhibit on information design as a fine art.
For his accomplishments, Horn has been presented with the Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award from the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Computing Machinery for his work on the Information Mapping method. He is a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and recipient of the Outstanding Research Award from the National Society of Performance and Instruction.
Horn is the author of several books including:
- Mapping Great Debates: Consciousness
- Mapping Hypertext: Analysis, Linkage, and Display of Knowledge for the Next Generation of On-Line Text and Graphics
- Visual Language: Global Communication for the 21st Century , and
- How High Can It Fly - Examining the Evidence on Information Mapping's Method of High-Performance Communication.
Information Mapping Method History
The Information Mapping method is a proprietary, research-based method for the analysis, organization, and visual presentation of information. Developed by Horn while at Harvard and Columbia Universities, the method is a unique system of written communication devised for 20th century problems of complexity and information overload.
Information Mapping is an integrated application of research in several disciplines: cognitive sciences, human factors engineering, task analysis, the functionality of information types, and effective writing. The method is both subject matter and media independent; that is, it can be applied to the subject matter of any industry, and it can be presented in any form on paper, on a computer screen, and in a presentation.
The first detailed, published description of the Information Mapping method occurs in Information Mapping for Learning & Reference, published in 1969. In this document, Horn provides a clear definition of the Information Mapping method as "a system of principles for identifying, categorizing, and interrelating the information required for learning-reference purposes" and "presenting them in formats that communicate quickly to the user."
Over three decades, Horn continually evaluated and refined the method and its description to adapt to current research and the changing environment. Over time, this resulted in a clearer, more 'compact' description. The most recent published description of the Information Mapping method occurred in 1991 where Horn described the method in detail and provides discussion of each of the method's three parts:
- Content analysis
- Life-cycle integration & synthesis
- Sequencing and formatting
Over several years, many courses were developed by Horn and Information Mapping to address the specific needs of selected audiences. Information Mapping seminars and services have attracted the attention of thousands of organizations internationally. Annually, approximately 15,000 people are trained in the method by Information Mapping, Inc. and its licensees. To date, nearly 300,000 people have been trained worldwide, and over 40,000,000 pages and screens have been written using the method.
Evaluations of the Information Mapping Method
Many researchers, both in universities as well as in business, have appraised the results that the method has achieved. Since 1977, fifteen doctoral level dissertations and several masters level theses have focused on the Information Mapping method. In addition, many companies have conducted evaluations and implementation research to determine the method's effectiveness in actual use in companies.
Many studies investigated the effectiveness of the method in general or attempted to identify components of the method that contributed to higher levels of effectiveness. These studies focused on the method as the single, major feature of the study or compared it to other training and information presentation methods.
Research to date has been focused on the following areas:
- Improvements in Reading Speed
- Improved Learning
- Reduced Training Time
- Improved Retrieval Time
- Impact on Writing
- Time on Tack
- Effectiveness in Electronic Applications
Acceptance of the Method
Consistent through each of the evaluations conducted over the past 30 years is the conclusion that the Information Mapping method is a highly effective way of analyzing, organizing and presenting information. It has been proven to be highly effective in communicating both technical and non-technical content for training and reference, and helps writers communicate a wide variety of complex information in a simple and effective way.
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